Hades and Kassandra
by Kuro Kali
Summary: A pseudo-myth I created in which Hades meets a priestess who serves in his temple at Colchis.
1. Kassandra's Decision

Hades and Kassandra  
  
Chapter One  
  
~Colchis~  
  
Kassandra stood on her balcony, watching the stormy gray-green waters of the Aegean Sea as they crashed against the rocky shore of Colchis. The cool salty air blew through her long black hair as she leaned over the railing, making her pale rose lips curve in a smile. She loved the sea, especially on days such as this, when a storm was coming. And perhaps the storm would discourage would-be suitors from coming to call...  
  
"My lady? You're wanted in the throne room." Kassandra sighed and made a face. Apparently the storm hadn't discouraged suitors after all. "My lady Kassandra...?" Erudne said timidly. She did not want to risk her mistress' temper. Kassandra composed herself before turning to face her handmaiden.  
  
"Very well, Erudne...lay out a chiton for me, then tell my father that I will be down directly..." she said without much enthusiasm. Erudne hid a smile as she did her mistress' bidding. She did not envy the suitors waiting for Kassandra.  
  
***  
  
In King Letas' throne room, four men were waiting to see the princess Kassandra: Mikas of Athens, Arian of Thessaly, Hanoch of Sparta, and Pestor of Crete. The four knew each other well; they had been in and out of each others courts since they were children...and more recently had been in each others company for days, courting Kassandra.  
  
King Letas watched the men with a mixture of amusement and worry. There was a pleasant rivalry between them, but there was also an undercurrent of mistrust and anger. He was not eager to see what the other three would do if his daughter chose one of them.  
  
Mikas was the first to speak after Kassandra's handmaiden brought back Kassandra's reply. "Do you think she'll send you three home today?" he asked the others with a grin. They all laughed at his remark, but Letas saw the gleams of anger in their eyes. It was fairly obvious that the suitors' patience with his daughter was running dangerously thin. They were still slightly awed by her beauty and charm, but it was quickly becoming not enough to sate their tempers.  
  
"I would have you all leave, Mikas," Kassandra said as she came down the wide marble staircase. The four princes all looked up to watch her descent. Letas stifled a knowing smile. They would behave themselves, for a little while at least. They always did when Kassandra first entered the room.  
  
And Kassandra looked particularly lovely today. She was wearing a chiton of deep violet, clasped at her shoulders with onyx and silver brooches, and tied around her slender waist with a braided cord of black linen. Her long black hair was pulled away from her face with hairpins that matched the brooches she wore. Mikas was so taken aback at her appearance that he did not immediately register what she had just said.  
  
Arian caught her meaning first. "But my dearest Kassandra," he said, stepping out from the group, "You know we will not leave until you have chosen one of us as your husband." The words were courtly enough, but both Kassandra and her father caught the hidden threat in those words.  
  
Kassandra did not respond well to threats, hidden or otherwise. "I have no desire to marry, Arian. I've told you all before: you're wasting your time here. I will not choose one of you...now or ever." These words caused a stir of anger amongst the suitors.  
  
"King Letas, you would do well to remind your daughter of all we can offer her," Henoch said softly, his tone deceptively calm.  
  
"Yes," agreed Mikas. "She will be well taken care of...provided for..." He looked toward Kassandra. "You need a husband to protect you, Kassandra."  
  
Kassandra's gray eyes blazed with anger. Letas frowned. Mikas had said the wrong thing. And now he was going to regret it. "I don't think I need to remind you, Mikas of Athens, that the blood that flows through my veins is that of the great Helios...I need protection from no man. I will not marry you, nor any of your friends. I know that none of you love me. You lust after my kingdom, and see nothing beyond your own greed and desire." Mikas and the others stared at her, anger and astonishment mixed on their faces.  
  
"And you needn't call on me again. I am going to the Temple of Hades, to serve as his priestess," she added. "Now, leave my father's house, or I will have the guards remove you." Mikas and Arian made as if to confront her, but the cooler tempered Henoch and Pestor restrained them.   
  
"Think, Mikas. And you, Arian. She is entering the service of the God of the Underworld...would you risk angering him?" Henoch asked under his breath. Pestor nodded agreement.  
  
"It would be a grievous error to harm the servant of one as powerful as the Dark God..." he added softly, glancing over his shoulder at Kassandra. Mikas and Arian looked at one another. Their friends spoke the truth.  
  
"Very well, Kassandra. If you are certain of that decision...we will leave you," Arian said at last. He and the others bowed to Kassandra, then to King Letas. As the four left, Letas caught a few choice words concerning his daughter and her honor. But he chose to ignore them and stood, walking to join Kassandra where she stood.  
  
"That was an excellent strategy, my daughter," he told her, placing an arm around her. "I see you have learned well from your teachers..." Kassandra looked at her father, a slight smile on her face.  
  
"But, Father...I meant what I said. I shall never marry. And I am entering the service of Hades..." she told him. Letas looked down at her in surprise.  
  
"Now, Kassandra...I know that you did not like those four...but if this is because I would not allow that breakneck cousin of yours Stephanos to court you... Well, I would sooner have you wed to him than serving the Dark God Hades..." Letas said firmly. Kassandra pulled away from her father.  
  
"This has nothing to do with Stephanos, Father...I want to got to the Temple and serve Hades..."  
  
Letas felt his resolve weakening. He could never deny Kassandra anything. She was his only child, his precious jewel...his heir to his kingdom... And as such, he did not want her to leave him. But if it was what she wanted... 


	2. Waiting

Hades and Kassandra  
  
Chapter Two  
  
~Temple of Hades~  
  
  
  
Kassandra had been in the service of Hades for several months now. She loved her new life, although she could not say the same for all of her fellow servants of Hades. The two girls who shared her bedroom resented both Kassandra and their duties in the Temple. She could see no reason for this hatred, unless it was because she was here of her own volition, while Martia and Anna had been sent to the Temple by their families to remove them from the attentions of less-than-suitable suitors.  
  
  
  
But Kassandra did not let herself be upset by them. She spent nearly all her time in the inner atrium of the Temple. And now that she thought of it, that could be part of the reason her roommates did not like her. They were scarcely allowed to see the atrium, whereas Kassandra had heard that she was being considered as the next Bride of Hades.  
  
  
  
The tradition had begun centuries earlier, before Hades took Kore from the surface and made her his wife. Each year a priestess from Hades temple at Colchis was selected to be Hades companion for one night. When Hades wed Persephone, the ceremony continued, taking place during the part of the year while Kore was on Olympos.   
  
Kassandra was deeply honored that she was being considered. But when she had, in a burst of friendliness, told Anna and Martia that she was a nominee for the honor, both girls had scorned her, making rude remarks about Kassandra being a consideration only because her father was the King of Colchis. Kassandra's fierce temper had surfaced at that, but she had managed to restrain it, albeit with much difficulty. She had merely smiled sweetly and flounced out of the room, her head held high. She privately reflected later that neither Martia nor Anna were suitible candidates, as the Bride of Hades had to be, among other things, a virgin. And, Kassandra knew for a fact, neither girl had fulfilled that requirement for a few years.  
  
Kassandra stopped by the kitchens and took a goblet of wine, then went into the atrium and sat at the alter to Hades. She went there every night, and lately she had been praying to him that he would find her suitable and allow her to be chosen as his Bride. Tonight she prayed twice as long. The Bride was to be announced the following day.  
  
Kassandra fell asleep at the alter.  
  
***  
  
~Palace of Hades~  
  
The Dark God sat brooding in his throne room, watching the girl in one of the mirrors. She had been praying to him for weeks, beseeching him to choose her as his Bride. Her piety and devotion touched something deep in Hades' breast. No mortal...no woman...had ever shown such devotion to him. Certainly not his wife Persephone.  
  
  
  
He sighed. Persephone had been gone from the Underworld for nearly a month, yet he did not feel the pain of her loss. As the centuries had passed, Hades had noticed that his obsession with Persephone had dwindled. Her lack of response to his affection and love had hardened his heart to its former coldness.   
  
This mortal girl had awakened those emotions he had reburied. But Hades did not want to take her as his Bride.   
  
  
  
She was lovely, to be sure. Her long black hair cascaded down her back like a dark waterfall, framing her slender face perfectly. Her deep gray eyes were hauntingly beautiful. Her pale skin was smooth and flawless as alabaster... Hades caught himself smiling. The girl was making him wax poetic. No, it was not her looks that made him unwilling.  
  
Nor was it her character. She was highly intelligent. He had seen her reading often enough to know that. And she was deeply devoted to his service. She fulfilled her duties in his Temple beyond even the high priest's expectations. She prayed nightly and sincerely, not the lip service prayers he was so used to getting. Even her temper was not what dissuaded Hades. Hades found her fiery temper to be a refreshing change from the meek and subservient attitudes so common in Greek women, and a welcome break from Persephone's cold presence.  
  
No, what made Hades unwilling was not the girl, but himself. He knew, better than anyone, what it meant to be loved by Death. Kore was not herself on Olympos, as Zeus was always quick to tell Hades. Hades knew for certain that she was never high-spirited or cheerful in the Underworld as she had been on Earth. That vivacity, that spirit, was part of what had attracted Hades to her. He could not risk tainting the mortal with that darkness he lived daily with.  
  
He could easily love Kassandra. She was already more to him than Persephone would ever be. Which was exactly why he could not chance taking her as his Bride. He could not risk tainting the mortal with that darkness he lived daily with. 


	3. Hades' Decision

Hades and Kassandra  
  
Chapter Three  
  
~Temple of Hades~  
  
Kassandra told herself firmly that she was not nervous. She had been praying for this honor, after all. So why should she be nervous?   
  
  
  
She had bathed with special soaps and fragrant oils, her hair had been braided, and she was wearing a diaphanous linen shift that did little to conceal her body in the soft lamplight.  
  
  
  
And now she was waiting. It was nearly midnight. Kassandra found herself glancing in the burnished silver mirror hanging on the wall. She knew that as a mortal, she was fairly attractive. But would Hades, a god, find her so? Now that she looked more closely, her nose was a bit too upturned...and her eyes were too pale a shade of gray...and her hair too thick...and her skin too pale...  
  
  
  
"Oh gods...I don't deserve this honor...Why am I here?" she muttered to herself.   
  
  
  
"Because I chose you, Kassandra," a voice said from behind her. Kassandra turned to see a tall pale man standing at the foot of the large bed. He had jet black hair that fell to just below his shoulders, and pale gray eyes much like her own. Kassandra felt her mouth go dry. He was unspeakably handsome.  
  
  
  
"H...Hades?" she managed to ask, finally overcoming her initial shock. He nodded, a smile warming the cold features of his handsome face. "I..." Kassandra could not speak. All her time in the temple had led up to this one moment, and now she could not even speak.   
  
  
  
Hades walked around the bed and sat beside her. He was torn. Here was a beautiful mortal, by all rights his for the taking. He wanted her...had wanted her for weeks... But taking her would mean changing her forever. Did he want to take that risk?  
  
  
  
Kassandra's breath quickened at Hades' nearness. He was watching her, as if studying her. She flushed under his intense scrutiny. Was she somehow lacking?   
  
  
  
Hades fought with himself...and lost. He wanted Kassandra more than anything. And she had prayed night and day for this. But she could not know what it entailed. This was no ordinary union...to be loved by the Dark God... Hades shook his head slightly, trying to clear it. Then he chose his course.  
  
  
  
And kissed Kassandra.  
  
Sorry it's so short.... more later...I promise... 


	4. Forbidden Happiness

Hades and Kassandra  
  
Chapter 4  
  
  
  
Hades sighed softly and stroked his goatee. It had been a month since his first night with Kassandra. The ceremony was supposed to be a one night occasion...but it had become so much more than that... He had gone back to Kassandra every night since then. And every night he loved her more.  
  
She was addictive...her love for him caused his love to grow more. And for the first time in his recollection, he was truly happy.   
  
And that angered his younger brother Zeus. Zeus hated for Hades to be happy. He had always rubbed it in Hades face that he was on Olympos while Hades was stuck below the earth, shunned and alone.   
  
When Hades had asked Zeus's permission to take Kore as his bride, Zeus had agreed...but not without a price. Zeus had had his ever-roving eye on Katia, wife of Theodorus. But Katia had refused all his advances, being loyal to her husband. Zeus's price for Kore was the death of Theodorus. Hades had not liked to pay such a price. He was by nature a hard but fair god. But his love for Kore had overwhelmed all else, and he had bargained with the Fates to intervene and end Theodorus's life early. For all the good that bringing Kore to his palace had done...  
  
Hades exhaled deeply and looked over in the bed to watch Kassandra sleep. She was so lovely... Her face was buried against his chest, her slender arm twined around his waist. Hades smiled and caressed her hair. Persephone had never shown him such affection. She gave him what she had to accept as his rights as her husband, but nothing more.  
  
Persephone...she would be returning in a few months. And while she had never said anything about the Bride of Hades ritual, Hades felt certain that she would object to his going to earth every night to be with a mortal woman.   
  
Kassandra awoke then, smiling sleepily up at him. "What is it, my love? What's wrong?" Hades felt his love grow. That simple term of affection, the mere act of caring...Kassandra was more perfect than she realized.   
  
"It is nothing, dearest Kassandra...I was simply thinking...do not concern yourself..." He did not like to lie to her...but he didn't want to worry her. He leaned down and kissed her gently. She returned the kiss eagerly, but Hades had to force himself to pull away. "It is almost dawn, Kassandra...you need your rest..." he said softly. Kassandra smiled and stroked his face.  
  
"Of course...will you come to me tomorrow night?" she asked him, her deep gray eyes full of love for him. Hades sighed inwardly. He could not resist her.  
  
"Yes. I will, my love..." He kissed her good-bye and disappeared. 


	5. A Woman Scorned

Hades and Kassandra  
  
Chapter 5  
  
It was autumn again, and that meant Kore's return to the Underworld as Persephone once more. For the first time since their marriage, Hades was not in a frenzy to have his palace made clean and presentable for his wife. He had no desire to make more futile attempts to please her. Not when he had Kassandra waiting for him in Colchis.  
  
The dark god sighed. He had to do something, and soon. Persephone would be furious to see him leave the Underworld for a mortal woman, even though she knew that her bed held no charms for her husband any longer.  
  
Hades glanced into one of the mirrors in his Great Hall, the one he had focused on Kassandra. She was helping in the kitchens. It was still only midday in Colchis; she wouldn't be expecting him for several hours yet. And Kore would not return for a few weeks. Hopefully it would be enough time to come to some sort of a decision.  
  
***  
  
On Olympos, Kore was not happy. It was not the usually melancholy that pervaded her spirit even after she had left her home in the Underworld. It was anger, furious wrath at her husband.   
  
Two months into her stay, her father Zeus had approached her with startling news. Hades had taken a lover. Kore had at first not believed him, for after all, didn't Hades worship the ground she walked on? Hadn't he pushed gems of startling beauty from the earth where she stepped, for no other reason than to amuse her? And hadn't he created a gorgeous flower just to see her smile? There was no way that Hades would take a lover...and especially not a mortal one, as Zeus was claiming.  
  
Kore remained steadfast in her denial for a few weeks, but then her mother Demeter, recently returned from a planting festival on earth, had informed her that she had seen with her own eyes Hades in the bed of the mortal girl, a priestess from his temple in Colchis. Kore could no longer deceive herself, and went to Colchis that very night to see for herself.  
  
It was true. Hades was there with a mortal girl. Kore raged with anger, and would have entered the room to confront the lovers then and there if Hera had not appeared. "Not yet, Kore," the goddess had said. "Let him think that he is safe. Wait until you are back in the Underworld, and *then* reveal that you know the truth."  
  
Kore had not wanted to back down, but she knew that Hera had much experience with a cheating husband, and so took her advice. And now she waited. There was still nearly a month before she was due to return to her grim home, but for once she welcomed the voyage. She would confront Hades with her discovery, and watch him squirm in attempts to shift the blame and placate her. But she would have none of it.   
  
And then she would turn her attentions to the mortal girl. 


End file.
